Pelosi on Obama: ‘We Have His Back’

By

Mary Lu Carnevale

Feb 5, 2009 6:19 pm ET

Susan Davis reports from Williamsburg, Va., on the House Democrats’ retreat.

In her opening remarks at the House Democrats’ annual retreat, Speaker Nancy Pelosi reaffirmed her caucus as allies of the White House. “We have his [President Barack Obama’s] back. We are his most enthusiastic supporters,” she said, according to a Democratic leadership aide.

Obama will make his first official trip here tonight to address the more than 200 members assembled at the Kingsmill Resort. Vice President Joe Biden will speak Friday morning, and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will speak and take questions from members on Saturday morning.

The nearly $900 billion economic stimulus package working its way through Congress is dominating the Democrats’ agenda. The Senate could vote on its version of the bill as early as tonight, and the president has said he’d like a bill by the President’s Day recess.

Democratic Caucus Chairman John Larson acknowledged that there are concerns on both sides of the aisle about the legislation but that the economic reality requires immediate and broad action. “Of course there’s great angst and great concern,” he said, adding “This is not the time to go slow.”

Members of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of fiscally conservative Democrats, wrote a letter to Democratic leadership today voicing concerns about extraneous spending in the bill. While there’s been some criticism of the White House in recent days for how they’ve handled bill negotiations, Rep. Xavier Becerra of California credited the president. “I don’t think there’s any doubt the president has been involved.” Becerra predicted a timely conference on the bill that should get it to the president’s desk on schedule.

Asked if Democrats would be able to bring more Republicans on board—no House Republicans voted for the package the first time—Larson quipped, “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.” Becerra suggested it was possible. “I think the package that he gets will be bipartisan.”

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